Journaling is a great way to keep track of your feelings and let go of the negative thoughts circling your mind. Once you incorporate journaling in your routine, it becomes second nature to start writing as soon as something happens. Even though it is a healthy habit in itself, in the long run it could be so much better by adding some structured exercises rather than just spontaneously writing.
Sometimes emotions get a hold of our judgment. It is easy to get tangled in what is called ‘Focalism’, which is the tendency to give too much weight to one particular thought while neglecting other important considerations. This act of over focusing on specific details usually results in us making inaccurate decisions. Writing about what happened throughout the day is a way to relieve stress, but by adding extra questions and pushing yourself to remember more than the just the negative, you can capture the whole picture of your mental state. Rather than a simple rant, journaling becomes a cycle of blowing steam, remembering the simple goods and thinking of positive what ifs.
By asking yourself what you did right rather than what you did wrong, and what you are grateful for rather than what you wish for, you reformat your brain to think in a manner of possibilities rather than regrets; you start building a safe space where you think critically rather than impulsive based on momentary feelings. You learn to take a step back from the overfocused view.
Journaling is not about the negative or positive exclusive, it’s about keeping a balanced account and reminding yourself in gentle ways of how you are growing and in what ways you’ve been content with yourself.
So next time you grab your journal ask yourself some of these questions:
- What was one thing I did for myself today?
- In which ways was today different from yesterday?
- What was something I did, or someone did, for me today?
- What was my favorite song today? What about food? Or what did I watch today?
- What am I looking forward for tomorrow or later this week?
- What is something I learned about myself?